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When we heard that Tom Waits would be playing three shows in Boston at the Orpheum Theatre September 19-21, 1999, we knew immediately that we had to get tickets for each show. Tom Waits shows are such a rare treat that Craig had made two trips to California to see him perform, and I had made one. We knew it would be a special occasion when he came to our area. The Raindogs email list was abuzz with excitement for the U.S. tour, and fans both local and out-of-town made plans to meet up for the Boston shows. We had an extra ticket, and after getting in touch over the internet, I met up with Ken at Alewife Station to give him the ticket.
Sunday 9/19/99On Sunday, September 19, we arrived early at J.J. Foley's, a bar not far from the Orpheum. This was the appointed meetingplace for the Boston Raindog Encounter. Craig and I were wearing the bootleg Tom Waits shirts that we bought off some guy in the street in Oakland, and we had brought Craig's brother Steve and our friend Steve with us. Tom and Margaret were there as well. We sat with Ken and had a drink. We met other Raindog list members both local (Seth, Michael O. and Sarah, Jon and Lisa) and international (Daniel from Australia). We had a lot of fun and the anticipation for the show was palpable. We walked over to the Orpheum, and in front of the theatre we met up with Julia and Richard from London. Craig had corresponded with Julia via email prior to the show, and she had called us when they arrived in Boston. We entered the theater and enjoyed the show from our orchestra seats. Set list: Jockey Full of Bourbon Jesus Gonna Be Here Earth Died Screaming Get Behind the Mule Chocolate Jesus Down, Down, Down Hold On Eyeball Kid Tango Til They're Sore Johnsburg, Illinois Invitation to the Blues The Ocean Doesn't Want Me Today The Briar and the Rose Innocent When You Dream 16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought Six Walking Spanish What's He Building in There Gun Street Girl I'll Shoot the Moon Filipino Box Spring Hog Swordfishtrombones Strange Weather Come On Up to the House Lucky Day Monday 9/20/99We went to J.J. Foley's before the show again, and met up with a lot of our friends from last night. Everyone had been blown away by last night's show, and we were eager for another. Kevin and Jenn went to the show tonight, and we had orchestra seats on the aisle. We spotted Peter Wolf in the section next to us. Tonight Tom entered the theatre through the rear door and walked up the aisle while singing the Lucky Day Overture with a megaphone. He walked down the aisle right next to us, leaving a trail of glittery confetti in his wake. Set list: Lucky DayOverture/Black Rider Intro Down, Down, Down Jesus Gonna Be Here Earth Died Screaming Get Behind The Mule Chocolate Jesus Jockey Full Of Bourbon Hold On Step Right Up Intro Eyeball Kid Tango Til They're Sore A Little Rain Cemetery Polka Burma Shave Innocent When You Dream 16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought Six Gun Street Girl Walking Spanish I'll Shoot The Moon Filipino Box Spring Hog Goin' Out West Cold Water Fish In The Jailhouse Take It With Me Tuesday 9/21/99The last night of Tom Waits' short residency at the Orpheum was bittersweet. The past couple of days had been a whirlwind, filled with fantastic music and new friends. We had managed to get front row tickets for tonight, and we were nearly jumping out of our skin at J.J. Foley's prior to the show. At the start of the show, Tom came down the aisle with the megaphone again, and he climbed a few steps to the stage right next to us. He stood singing at the very front of the stage, right in front of us. He threw some confetti into the air and it wafted down onto our heads. We couldn't believe how close we were. It was a totally different experience, being able to see every nuance of an expression on Tom's face. When he did "What's He Building In There", he flashed his flashlight at us several times. We were mesmerized by the show. At the very end of the last encore, Tom came to the front of the stage and shook hands with everyone in the front row. He leaned over, took one of our hands in both of his, looked into our eyes, and gave us a nice firm handshake. We were totally blown away. Set List: Lucky Day Overture/The Black Rider Down, Down, Down Jesus Gonna Be Here Earth Died Screaming Get Behind the Mule Chocolate Jesus Jockey Full of Bourbon Hold On Eyeball Kid Tango Til They're Sore Cemetery Polka Invitation to the Blues Hang Down Your Head Xmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis Innocent When You Dream 16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought Six Gun Street Girl Black Market Baby Straight to the Top (Rhumba) I'll Shoot the Moon Filipino Box Spring Hog What's He Building in There Strange Weather Pony Even though we needed to go to work early the next morning, we were so excited that there was no way we were going straight home. So we went with the gang to J.J. Foley's and had a drink. It was the perfect culmination to this wonderful three day extravaganza. |